(1) Field of The Invention
The invention relates to an adjusting device for the outside mirror of a motor vehicle, in general, and to a motor vehicle mirror system having a compact electrical network, in particular.
(2) Description of Related Art
The invention relates to an adjusting device for an outside mirror system of a motor vehicle. The mirror system includes a drive housing, on which is mounted a mirror glass carrier, that is provided with intersecting toothed strips. The intersecting strips are in engagement with the output toothed gears of two drive motors, disposed in the drive housing. The mirror system includes an electric contactor for the mirror glass to supply electric energy for the mirror heater, the mirror dimmer or other consuming devices.
A significant problem with such adjusting devices is the electric contacting of the mirror glass and the supply of energy from the outside source of current to the consuming devices, be it for the mirror heater, the mirror dimmer, the electrical drive or the like. In addition to direct contact of the mirror glass from the outside, solutions have also been proposed wherein the energy is fed in by way of a plug in the drive housing, routed through its interior and looped through the drive housing""s passages facing the mirror glass carrier, in order to then be connected to contacts on the mirror glass. However, all these prior art variants are complicated in their construction and also very time consuming to assemble.
Therefore, the invention is based on the problem of designing an adjusting device of the aforementioned class in such a manner that with a simple design and very simple assembly, electrical energy can be transported from the outside source of energy to the consuming devices.
The present invention provides a solution to the aforementioned problem in that electrical energy is transported by means of toothed strips, which are electrically insulated from each other in the crossing area, a feature that occurs preferably in such a manner that the contacting of the toothed strips for supplying electric energy ensues over brush springs, permanently connected to the drive housing.
In a first embodiment, these brush springs can extend through passages of the drive housing and rest preferably along the interior against smooth sections of the toothed strips, whereby they can be connected preferably to a feeder plug element, which penetrates from the side of the drive housing and is expediently molded to the same.
In a second embodiment the brush springs in turn can be positioned along the outside preferably against smooth sections of the toothed strips. Thus, in this case the brush springs are between the drive housing and the enveloping outer housing of the outside mirror of the motor vehicle so that, as an alternative to mounting on the drive housing, they can also be hinged rigidly to the outer housing itself that is connected to the drive housing.
In accordance with the invention, to obtain good electrical contact between the ends of the toothed strips and the mirror glass during any swivel movements of the mirror glass surface, the contact ends of the toothed strips rest against mating contacts of the mirror glass by means of arched sections of preferably U-shaped contact springs. Then, when the mirror glass carrier is swiveled in relation to the drive housing, the arched sections roll down on the mating contacts.
Other advantages, features and details of the invention are disclosed in the following description of two embodiments and with reference to the drawings.